In New York, we tasted cocktails with umami effects, like 2009 New York Rising Star Mixologist Maxwell Britten’s Ricos Italiano with citrus, tequila, and bitters; Death & Co.’s Brian Miller mixes Gant’s Tomb made with a rum-based allspice dram and two other specialty rums; and the Groovy with shiso-infused vodka, yuzu, and sugar at the cocktail lounge B-Flat. Sona (LA) Pastry Chef Ramon Perez’s Poached Figs with Buckwheat Sablé, Shiso Ice Cream, and Yuzu Marshmallow had a mouth-warming savory richness that blended effortlessly into the umami-laden savory dishes that preceeded it.

Umami is nothing new for Japanese cooking to be sure, but it’s certainly new for American chefs to be taking umami into consideration for a dish’s flavor profile, and certainly remarkable for pastry chefs and mixologists to consider it as well. We anticipate a lot more umami in 2010.